I was wrong about the walls. The floors were the worst. Not the walls. Until tomorrow, when the next thing is the worst. :)
Luckily, I found very little rust underneath my floors. A little surface rust, but that's easily remedied!
Wall Panel Removal | Skoolie Bus Conversion Tiny House Videos
These walls are THE WORST. After grinding off precisely 3 trillion rivets, I was expecting the panels to pop right off. My expectations weren't met. These bad boys took way more elbow grease than anticipated!
Tools
Bus Seat Removal | Skoolie Bus Conversion Tiny House Videos
Bus Seat Removal
Bus seat removal was a nightmare. Ok, it wasn't THAAAAAAT bad...but it wasn't fun.
I paid the fine gentleman from whom I bought the bus $100 to take out all of the seats except for 4. Soooooooooo...I can't really get away with complaining too much. Nonetheless, the minimal bus seat removal I DID have to do was not enjoyable.
These items made it a lot easier...
Tools Needed
Ceiling Demolition | Skoolie Bus Conversion Tiny House Videos
Ceilling demolition wasn't my favorite.
First order of bid'nass... removing the screws and rivets that secure the ceiling panels to the roof. For some god foresaken reason, my ceilling panels were held on with a combination of three different types of screws and...*duhn duhn duhnnnnnnn*...rivets. Some screws came out quickly, but some were rusted in or stripped.
Luckily, this angle grinder saved the day...
While a little intimidating at first, once I got the hang of it I had a frickin' blast grinding these rivets and rusty/stripped screws off.
I had no idea what I would find behind those ceiling panels. Turns out...lots and lots of fiberglass insulation. That stuff is ITCHY! I definitely recommend long sleeves, gloves, and a cold shower afterward!
Tips, tricks, suggestions, or criticisms? Leave them in the comments below!
How To Buy A School Bus | Skoolie Bus Conversion Videos
I bought a bus on eBay. Yes...seriously.
I had been thinking about building a skoolie bus conversion for months. If only I knew how many hours I spent watching YouTube videos and getting lost in blogs about people who had taken the skoolie leap. But how do I buy a school bus? I had no clue how to buy a school bus...
Then I found him. Earl. A school bus. On ebay. Oh boy was he a looker. 20 years old. Low mileage...for a diesel...155,000....and priced right. Not only did he appear to be an excellent deal...he was located just a few hours from Huntsville, TX, where I would be attempting my second 100 mile ultramarathon only a few weeks later. It was too perfect.
Do I advise buying a buy on eBay? No. Did I get super lucky and end of with a pretty killer bus? Yup...sure did!
Want to hear me babble for a while about my experience buying Earl and my tips for buying your first bus? You're in luck...
That wasn't enough? Need to hear me talk more about how to buy a school bus? Alright...here's more!
Have any skoolie tips, tricks, or stories to share? Leave them in the comments below!